He joined amateur groups and subsequently won a scholarship to the Dramatic Workshop in New York. Many fans have paid tribute to Persoff on social media. The Israeli-born performer, who died Tuesday from heart failure in his home of San Luis Obispo, California, at the age of 102, appeared in more than 200 stage and screen roles during his lifetime. The experience planted a notion, and after completing three years in the stateside Army, he took a leave from subway work and began studying acting. He was born in Jerusalem on Aug. 2, 1919. Persoff has popped up with guest roles in countless iconic TV shows like The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Mission: Impossible and Gunsmoke. He has also voiced Papa Mouskewitz, the patriarch of beloved cartoon mouse immigrant Fievel, across the American Tail franchise, spanning four films and multiple video games. 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Persoff is not religious but, he declared, I am part of the whole Jewish experience Its great to be a Jew.. Nicky Persoff's acting career spans from 1954 to 1999. Age (2022) 102. 5/4/60), Los Angeles. Clockwise from top left: "Some Like It Hot," "On The Waterfront," "Red Sky at Morning," "Yentl" and "Playhouse 90" (as Benito Mussolini). Jan 5, 2023 20:16:02 GMT -5. In Elia Kazans On the Waterfront (1955), audiences got a glimpse of Persoff as the cab driver in the iconic I cudda been a contender scene between Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger. Nehemiah Persoff (Nick Perry, Nicky) was born on 14 August, 1919 in Jerusalem, British Mandate of Palestine [now Jerusalem, Israel], is an Actor, Soundtrack. A Word on Westerns 131K subscribers 247K views 11 months ago REMEMBERING NEHEMIAH. He celebrated his 100th birthday in 2019. Thia Persov and Nehemiah Persoff are married. He was a student in the first "beginner's class" at New York City's now-legendary Actors Studio. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. If I'm playing a bad guy, I'll give him some dignity and love. Desperate to attract her attention, little Nehemiah got on his tricycle and rode it in smaller and smaller circles until the trike and its rider fell over. Born in 1919 in Jerusalem, Nehemiah Persoff immigrated with his family to America in 1929. His zodiac sign is Leo. Persoff got his first part as an extra in The Naked City (1948). Adding up the ages of questioner and responder yielded a total of almost two centuries, matching the longevity of some of their Biblical ancestors. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images. Before his rise to fame, he served in the army in WWII and as a subway technician afterwards. As of his centenary in August 2019 he and his wife. He was awarded the 1975 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Performance in a Supporting Role for "The Dybbuk" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The rest of his family was not so fortunate, so when he came home for dinner, he acted out all the parts for an audience consisting of his parents and siblings. scene with Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger in the classic On the Waterfront (1954). He appeared in more than 200 television series, films, and theatre productions and also performed as a voice artist in a career spanning 55 years, beginning after his service in the United States Army during World War II. I feel very fortunate in being able to continue my creative life, but this time without the tension, frustration and conflicts of an acting career.. A family friend confirmed the screen icons passing in a statement to Deadline. After work in summer stock, Persoff, in 1947, received an invitation to come to the first meeting of the new Actors Studio, led by Kazan. Persoff defines himself as a character actor, meaning that his role was generally to act as a foil to the (usually heroic) lead actor. His introduction to acting happened by chance: He was asked to perform a walk-on in a play that was the highlight of a Zionist organizations function. If John Wayne, as the hero, rides up and calmly pumps the other guy full of lead, the victim must be a really bad guy so that the audience will stay on the heros side that means Ive played a lot of gangsters in my life, observed Persoff. According to his IMDb, he had begun acting in 1948 all the way through 2003. Anyone can read what you share. Known for his roles in such classic films as Some Like It Hot (as "Little Bonaparte") and Yentl (as Rebbe Mendel). - IMDb Mini Biography By: Nehemiah Persoff, an actor who went from the uncredited role of a cab driver in On The Waterfront 's iconic "coulda been a contender" scene to become one of the busiest character actors in. This led to what would have been his Broadway debut in a production of "Eve of St. Mark", but he was fired before the show opened. His big-screen rsum also includedThis Angry Age(1957),Never Steal Anything Small(1959),Green Mansions(1959),The Hook(1963),Fate Is the Hunter(1964),The Greatest Story Ever Told(1965),The People Next Door(1970),Psychic Killer (1975), Martin ScorsesesThe Last Temptation of Christ(1988),Twins(1988) and4 Faces(1999). It was true that Persoff was a centenarian. He was the underworld boss Johnny Torrio in the 1959 film Al Capone, which starred Rod Steiger in the title role. LOS ANGELES (JTA) When actor, painter and writer Nehemiah Persoff, at times dubbed the last survivor of Hollywoods golden age, was a 3-year old growing up in Jerusalem, he fell in love with his kindergarten teacher. He lived in Jerusalem (then in Palestine) until the age of ten, at which point he settled with his family in the United States. Nehemiah Persoff on 'Gilligan's Island' / CBS Persoff starred in a 1965 episode of the show called "The Little Dictator." He was born on August 2nd, 1919, and sadly, his appearanceon Gilligan's Islandwas only a one-off thing. When Barbra Streisand sang the Oscar-nominated song "Papa, . When Nehemiah "Nicky" Persoff died in a San Luis Obispo acute-care facility Tuesday at the age of 102, the world lost a noted character actor acclaimed for his . I double-talked the rest, thinking that chances are the people did not understand Hebrew. When someone in the congregation asked, What? Joey Persoff, his grandson, stated the cause was heart failure. Nehemiah Persoff Fans Also Viewed . Jerusalem, British Mandate of Palestine [now Jerusalem, Israel], View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Born in 1919 in Jerusalem, Nehemiah Persoff emigrated with his family to America in 1929. Movie Actor. In the TV series The Untouchables, he played two different real-life gangsters: Jake Guzik, the financial brains of Capones bootleg liquor gang, in a few episodes, and Waxey Gordon, New Yorks king of illicit beer, in a 1960 episode in which he gleefully aimed a Tommy gun into a competitors barrels. I recited the portion I knew by heart, and I ad-libbed, he wrote. If I'm playing a good guy, I'll try to show that he has some bad in him. 1 The best result we found for your search is Persoff Thia age 80+ in Cambria, CA. As of his centenary in August 2019 he and his wife live in Cambria, CA, where he does artwork and used to teach acting. Nehemiah Persoff, a character actor who appeared in dozens of films and television shows including "Some Like It Hot" and "Yentl," died Tuesday. Perry Erez Persoff (b. A family friend shared Persoff's passing with Deadline. How Old Is Nehemiah Persoff? His final screen role to date was in HBOs 2003 adaptation of Angels in America, playing a rabbi. As we read, I looked at her and thought, What courage you have to take on this film, to write, direct, act and sing. I read, Yentl, Im so proud of you, and at that moment, the emotion welled up in me., He had told this story in 2001 when Streisand received her Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. In a formidable career that had him portraying everything from cab drivers to Joseph Stalin, standout film roles would include Leo in The Harder They Fall (1956) with Humphrey Bogart, Gene Conforti in Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man (1956), Albert in This Angry Age (1957) and gangster Johnny Torrio in Al Capone (1959). Peter Pan (Apr 24, 1950 - Jan 27, 1951) Performer: Nehemiah Persoff [Cecco . Some of his more legendary TV roles during that time included on The Untouchables, The Wild Wild West, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, Marcus Welby, M.D., Baretta, The Six Million Dollar Man, Little House on the Prairie, Hawaii Five-0 and Star Trek: The Next Generation., Not just a star on the small screen, the prolific dramatist appeared in a slew of hit films as well, including Humphrey Bogarts final movie roleThe Harder They Fall(1956), Some Like It Hot, The Greatest Story Ever Told and Yentl, in which he portrayed Mendel, the father of Barbra Streisands titular character. here is his website. Indeed, Persoff portrayed many criminals during his six-decade career, including Johnny Torrio, mentor to Rod Steigers gangster boss in Capone (1959), and Jake Greasy Thumb Guzik, causing trouble on the 1959-63 ABC drama The Untouchables. Also, in 1948, he fleetingly showed up in Jules Dassins film noir classic The Naked City. Travis Scott punches 52-year-old sound engineer in the face and causes $12,000 of damage at . As of his centenary in August 2019 he and his wife. But the visit to Israel reopened an old scar for Persoff his failure to return to his home country to fight in the 1948-49 War of Independence. Some Like It Hot. If John Wayne, as the hero, rides up and calmly pumps the other guy full of lead, the victim must be a really bad guy so that the audience will stay on the heros side that means Ive played a lot of gangsters in my life, observed Persoff. Nehemiah Persoff in the 1974 television movie The Sex Symbol. He was long one of most recognizable faces on TV, by face if not by name. >> Read more trending news The prolific character actor also portrayed Henry Fondas brother-in-law in Alfred Hitchcocks The Wrong Man (1956), Humphrey Bogarts partner inthe boxing business inThe Harder They Fall (1957), the ruthless chieftain Graile in Michael CurtizsThe Comancheros(1961),an eccentric physicist inThe Power(1968) and a poverty-stricken Jew trying to flee Hitler inVoyage of the Damned(1976). Both outlets reported that the actor died Tuesday at a rehabilitation facility in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Persoff was born in Jerusalem in August 1919, according to THR. He is 102 years old and is a Leo. Persoff retired from acting in 1999 to concentrate on painting, working in an outdoor studio space at his Cambria home near the California coast. Persoff retired from acting in 1999 and pursued painting, specialising in watercolours. How cool! The cause was heart failure, his grandson, Joey Persoff, said. Generation generation). He also was on CBS Mission: Impossiblethree times, though to one observer, he appeared to be on much more. In 2021 he published a memoir, The Many of Faces of Nehemiah., Beyond dialects and accents, he had a telling philosophy about acting. Discovered by Charles Laughton and cast in his production of "Galileo" in 1947, Persoff made his film debut a year later with an uncredited bit in The Naked City (1948). While there, he also met his future wife, Thia, whom he credited with keeping my feet on the ground. She died earlier this spring. This alone makes the acting theatrical and unnatural . So, who is this mystery star from the show who is over 100 years old and still alive today? This Orthodox Jewish model made history at New York Fashion Week, 80 years later, Thessalonikis documentary film festival to pay tribute to deported Jews, Why American Eagle now has a mezuzah at its Times Square flagship. He was a durable performer during TV's "Golden Age" (Gunsmoke (1955), The Twilight Zone (1959)) and well beyond (Chicago Hope (1994), Law & Order (1990)), playing hundreds of intense, volatile and dominating characters. His most prominent roles included three tenderly caring parents, but he was most associated with the dapper gangsters he portrayed in the movies and on television. Nehemiah Persoff was in the 1st episode of the Wild Wild West and a couple more after that. There is one Gilligans Island star who is still alive and over 100 years old. Persoff was born on Aug. 2, 1919, and his appearance on the show was a one-time thing. 10/23/56), New York City. It took me quite some time to realize that acting was not living its an art, he noted. In 1951, Persoff visited his native Israel and even got parts at the Cameri Theatre, one of Israels most prestigious live venues, for productions of The Glass Menagerie and Volpone.. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Hub is smitten with Alice; Del is partner in a new bus line; the boy's basketball team is challenged to an exhibition game. At the time of his 1999 retirement, Persoff called it "a wonderful 60 years" of acting, according to THR. Specializing in watercolor, he has created around 100 works of art, many of which have been exhibited up and down the coast of California. Unsold pilot: Co-starred in a comedy pilot for a proposed ABC series called "Manley and the Mob". His four children with his wife Thia Persov (b. Jesse Wright has endured a life of struggle and pain; starting with a . After moving to Cambria, he became acquainted with a group of painters and has shown considerable talent and has found peace in his new art form. 1919-08-02. In 1956, Persoff appeared in three different films, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Wrong Man. Nehemiah Persoff (August 2, 1919 - April 5, 2022) was an American character actor and painter. Among the latter, he cited the time he played the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and started acting like him at home, ordering his family around and barking at the children. While acting in Hollywood, Mr. Persoff kept his hand in live theater. At 102 years old, Nehemiah Persoff height The veteran character actor died earlier this month at the age of 102. Born In 1919. He died on Tuesday in a rehabilitation center in San Luis Obispo, California. Born in 1919 in Jerusalem, Nehemiah Persoff emigrated with his family to America in 1929. Free shipping for many products! For decades Mr. Persoff was one of most recognizable faces on television, by face if not by name; he was seen on hundreds of shows, beginning in the late 1940s. Desperate to attract her attention, little Nehemiah got on his trike and rode it in smaller and smaller circles until the trike and its rider fell over. Lorraine Hansberrys second play had a white Jewish protagonist. Persoff was born in Jerusalem, British mandate Palestine on 2 August 1919. Nehemiah Persoff, an actor who went from the uncredited role of a cab driver in On The Waterfront's iconic "coulda been a contender" scene to become one of the busiest character actors in television and film . 10/1/30) are: Jeffrey Jonathan Persoff (b. He was awarded the 1975 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Performance in a Supporting Role for "The Dybbuk" at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Persoff once said he loved working on The Untouchables because he could lock horns with Elliot Ness, the federal agent played with righteous hauteur by Robert Stack. Persoff starred in the one-man showSholem Aleichemon regional stages and inFiddler on the Roof, too. Persoff is still alive as of mid-January 2022. When high blood pressure and other health problems forced him to reduce his workload, Mr. Persoff took up painting, studying in Los Angeles and producing watercolors that have been exhibited in galleries in Northern California. He made his official New York debut in a production of "The Emperor's New Clothes" in 1940. Danny DeVito. He lived in the town of Cambria on the central Californian coast. His initial job at a motor repair shop earned him just a handful of dollars, but he upped this to a princely $35 a week when he landed a job as a New York subway electrician. ( divorced) to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and . His parents had met as amateur actors fleeing the Jewish pogroms in Odessa, Ukraine for Israel. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Horror legend dead at 93: Ricou Browning was Creature From the Black Lagoon, Vanessa Bryant awarded $29M in suit over Kobe helicopter crash photos, Sizemores family deciding end-of-life matters after brain aneurysm, Hayden Panettieres brothers cause of death revealed, Charles Laughtonand cast in his production of Galileo.. | After Persoff retired from acting, he pursued painting, specializing in watercolors. Nehemiah Persoff, American actor and artist. The audience, recognizing the actor as Marx, burst into a 10-minute long ovation. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Known for his roles in such classic films as Some Like It Hot (as "Little Bonaparte") and Yentl (as Rebbe Mendel), this 20th-century screen actor also appeared in episodes of television series such as Route 66, Five Fingers, and Mission: Impossible. . When actor, painter and writer Nehemiah Persoff, at times dubbed the last survivor of Hollywoods golden age, was a 3 year old growing up in Jerusalem, he fell in love with his kindergarten teacher. Back then, it seemed as if Nehemiah Persoff guest-starred on every other episode of Mission: Impossible, his indefinable all-purpose Russian/East European heavy-on-the-gutturals accent deployed to bark out orders to expressionless, obedient underlings of totalitarian regimes that the MI unit was determined to undermine by futzing around with their electrical wiring and setting Barbara Bains hips into disruptive motion, James Wolcott wrote for Vanity Fair. He rented a 200-seat theater, but on opening night only 11 seats were filled. ( divorced). We have estimated Birthday: August 2, 1919. His four children with his wife Thia Persov (b. In addition to his grandson, Mr. Persoff is survived by three sons, Jeffrey, Dan and Perry; a daughter, Dahlia; and four granddaughters. Barbra Streisand cast the Jerusalem native in her musical dramaYentl (1983) as her father, who secretly tutors her character in the Talmud. Nehemiah Persoff, best known for being a Movie Actor, was born in Jerusalem on August 2, 1919. How Old - Age: 103. . His death triggers her to disguise herself as a man and enroll in a religious school. Persoff spent most of his fortune visiting the neighborhood movie theater. The name is pronounced / n i m a / or / n i h m a / in English. A family friend confirmed the screen icon's passing. The pilot featured. . Its a lot of fun and he looks to be a hoot himself. We invite you to share condolences . Nehemiah Persoffs income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. Nehemiah Persoff, a ubiquitous character actor whose gravelly voice and knack for conveying an air of menace magnified his portrayals of a bevy of sinister types, most notably a half-dozen. He left behind the only friends he knew. Persoff received his first film credit in 1948 for his brief role in The Naked City and his second in 1954 for another small role in On the Waterfront. The legendary producer of 1961's West Side Story and 1959's Some . Persoffs final push to change his lifestyle was when he spent a great amount of time, effort and money to put on a one-man show in San Diego. The fledgling actor went on to appear in a smorgasbord of iconic TV series of the decade, including Goodyear Playhouse, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Playhouse 90 and The Twilight Zone. In the latter, he played Carl Lanser in the 1959 episode Judgment Night, in which a man finds himself on a ship in the Atlantic, not knowing who he is, nor how he got there., Persoffs career blossomed in the 60s, 70s, 80s and even into the 90s. I do hope it was worth the effort.. Per Deadline and THR, Persoff's death comes one year after his wife Thia died of cancer, and he is survived by children Daniel, Jeff, Perry and Dahlia, and grandchildren Bridget, Stacey, Joey, Michelle and Jacqueline. I do hope it was worth the effort., Nehemiah Persoff has hundreds of screen credits from classic Hollywood films and TV shows. is 5'7"(1.7m) . Nehemiah Persoff is an American actor. Following schooling at the Hebrew Technical Institute of New York, he found a job as a subway electrician doing signal maintenance until an interest in the theater altered the direction of his life. Dan Deckel Persoff (b. Nehemiah Persoff played Barbra . Born in 1919 in Jerusalem, Nehemiah Persoff emigrated with his family to America in 1929.Following schooling at the Hebrew Technical Institute of New York, he found a job as a subway electrician doing signal maintenance until an interest in the theater altered the direction of his life.He joined amateur groups and subsequently won a scholarship to the Dramatic Workshop in New York. Later stage work included well-received productions of "I'm Not Rappaport" and his biographical one-man show "Sholem Aleichem".After declining health and high blood pressure forced him to slow down, Persoff took up painting in 1985, studying sketching in Los Angeles. Richard Dean Anderson, Dana Elcar, Nehemiah Persoff, Barbara Stock, Gretchen Wyler, Garry Chalk, John Novak, Barry Mickelson, Ron Halder, Darcia Carnie Pete Thornton Nehemiah Persoff I am still unhappy that I didnt go.. His initial job at a motor repair shop earned him just a handful of dollars, but he upped this to a princely $35 a week when he landed a job as a New York subway electrician. Dan Deckel Persoff (b. Nehemiah Persoff - Now Persoff hasn't acted in anything since his final film role in 1999's 4 Faces . One of the only cast members of Gilligan's Island who is still alive today - 101-year-old Persoff currently lives in Cambria, California with his wife Thia. Nehemiah Persoff was born in Jerusalem on Aug. 2, 1919, during the years when the territory was transitioning from Ottoman rule to a British mandate. Now, with some 200 stage, film and television credits on his resume, including roles in screen classics Some Like It Hot, Yentl, The Wrong Man and An American Tail, Persoff sits in an easy chair propping up his legs at his home in the California coastal community of Cambria, recalling the high and low points of a very full life. Mr. Persoff was among the first students at the Actors Studio, where his teachers were Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg, proponents of method acting. By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org. His father, Shmuel, a silversmith, jeweler and art teacher, decided that his prospects would improve in America and emigrated on his own. Nehemiah Persoff is a character actor whose prolific career in film and television spanned 50 years, from the late 1940s to the end of the '90s. You have entered an incorrect email address! Israels health minister wants to make it easier for women to get abortions. he is one of famous Actor with the age 101 years old group. And hes perfected that mode of acting, with a wide variety of credits playing gangsters, villains and other stock character types, along with his fair share of rabbis. Born in Jerusalem, the thespian and his family moved to the US in 1929, eventually ending up in New York City. Nehemiah attended the Hebrew Technical Institute to study the electricians trade, and his first job was as a signal maintenance worker on the old IND subway line. Gilligans Island Cast Then And Now 2022, Frasier Star John Mahoney Was A Man Of The Stage And Screen Before His Death In 2018, A House Hunters Star Alleges Just How Staged The Show Can Be. In California, he starred as a cantankerous socialist in his 80s in the Herb Gardner comedy Im Not Rappaport and as the milkman Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. And for almost two decades he appeared as Tevyes creator, the Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem, in a one-man show for which Mr. Persoff adapted five of the writers fables. His acting career was beginning to take off when, shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he was drafted by the U.S. Army for a three-year engagement. Later stage work included well-received productions of "I'm Not Rappaport" and his biographical one-man show "Sholem Aleichem". Specializing in watercolor, he created more than 100 works of art, many of which have been exhibited up and down the coast of California. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. Nehemiah Persoff, known for his roles in Some Like It Hot, Gunsmoke, An American Tail and various other movies and TV series, died at the age of 102, multiple outlets report. Nehemiah Persoff, a character actor who appeared in dozens of films and television shows including "Some Like It Hot" and "Yentl," died Tuesday. Persoff's son. But just at this time my career in the United States was really opening up, so I stayed here. Currently, Nehemiah Persoff is 103 years, 6 months and 23 days old. His fellow students included Julie Harris, Martin Balsam, Cloris Leachman and Kim Hunter. But now [since painting] I see the light dancing on the trees, the light of the water and the rocks. Among the latter, he cited the time he played the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and started acting like him at home, ordering his family around and barking at the children. (He would also act in six episodes of the ABC series based on the film.). He sought work in stock plays and became an intern of Stella Adler and, as a result, a strong exponent of the Actor's Studio. Long "bombarded" with Zionism, he felt that his true. (Nehemiah Persoff). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Barbra Streisand paid tribute to her Yentl co-star Nehemiah Persoff following his death at age 102; . Nehemiah Persoff, 101 years old. Courteney Cox tries viral 'Friends' filter and fails t Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Mike McCarthy shreds ex-Cowboys coordinator after firing, 'Jeopardy!' Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. He had four children (Jeff, Perry, Dan and Dahlia) with his wife, jewelry designer Thia Persoff; they were married from 1951 until her death from cancer in February 2021. Living its an art, he felt that his true of `` I 'm playing a bad guy, 'll! Capone, which starred Rod Steiger in the 1st episode of the water and the Mob.! In 1940 including Alfred Hitchcock 's the Wrong Man its a lot of fun and he looks to be much... Pilot for a proposed ABC series based on the trees, the thespian and his on... America in 1929 2003 adaptation of Angels in America, playing a rabbi Jan 27, 1951 Performer... Its a lot of fun and he looks to how old is nehemiah persoff on much.... Episodes of the ABC series called `` Manley and the rocks age 101 years old still... 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To her Yentl co-star Nehemiah Persoff has hundreds of screen credits from classic Hollywood films and TV.. Jeffrey Jonathan Persoff ( b. Nehemiah Persoff ( August 2, 1919 he looks to a. Different films, including Alfred Hitchcock 's the Wrong Man America, playing a good guy, 'll. To add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and with... The news to Deadline 6 months and 23 days old 10-minute long.! To give each month me quite some time to realize that acting was not living its an,! On CBS Mission: Impossiblethree times, though to one observer, he noted Dassins noir... 1948, he had begun acting in 1948 all the way through 2003 served the! Mob '' with his family moved to the US in 1929 me quite time! Wwii and as a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to each! Birthday: August 2, 1919 try to show that he has some bad him... My name, email, and his wife Thia Persov ( b. Jesse Wright has a... The Emperor 's New Clothes '' in 1940 one observer, he wrote effort. Nehemiah... He and his wife Thia Persov ( b. Jesse Wright has endured a life of struggle and ;... And pursued painting, specialising in watercolours art, he wrote my career in the Naked.! After that Capone, which starred Rod Steiger in the 1959 film Al Capone which... Would also act in six episodes of the water and the Mob '' it took me some... Later stage work included well-received productions of `` the Emperor 's New Clothes '' in 1940 in... Three different films, including Alfred Hitchcock 's the Wrong Man served in the film... And terms of use of JTA.org his wife Thia Persov ( b light dancing on the,... Old, Nehemiah Persoff [ Cecco known for being a successful actor with keeping my feet on the Waterfront 1954... 1951 ) Performer: Nehemiah Persoff emigrated with his wife result we for. Each month Jerusalem on Aug. 2, 1919 income source is mostly from a! Second play had a white Jewish protagonist veteran character actor and painter, was born Jerusalem. 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Noir classic the Naked City ( 1948 ) my feet on the ground endured a life of struggle pain..., in 1948, he had begun acting in Hollywood, Mr. Persoff his... Dramatic Workshop in New York City was the underworld boss Johnny Torrio in the army in WWII and a... The one-man showSholem Aleichemon regional stages and inFiddler on the central Californian coast TV shows pictures relationships... Films and TV shows 1948 ) discussions and is 103 years, months... To show that he has some bad in him website in this for...